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Laptops are loved for their portability, making them a convenient mini-computer for digital nomads, office work, business, and gaming. They are easy to use, and despite their small form factor, they are built with high-end features that make them a suitable choice for numerous highly demanding applications and fluidity in multi-tasking.
While searching for a laptop, certain things should be considered because, to a large extent, they determine the performance of your laptop and the productivity of the applications that are installed in it.
This article aims to serve as a guide for your search for the best laptops. It contains the best three laptops and the crucial things to look out for a while purchasing a laptop.
Our Top 3 Picks For The Best Laptop
Contents
Lenovo ThinkPad E15
Best Business Laptop
The Lenovo ThinkPad E-series E15 business laptop encompasses numerous unique features geared towards providing efficiency and excellent output in businesses.
Its 15.6” full HD display uses a 1080p anti-glare resolution with 220 nits of brightness to display stunning images with a TN panel aid. It employs an upgradable 32Gb DR4 RAM, an upgradable 1TB SSD, and dual-drive storage that provides ample storage space that promotes the fluid workability of various applications needed for the smooth operation of your business.
The Lenovo ThinkPad E15 is MIL-SPEC tested and has proven to work in almost any environment, plus it is water-resistant and highly resistant against the traumatic effects of accidental knocks, drops, and spills.
It features a Windows 10 Pro 64-bit operating system, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, an English layout Keyboard, a 720p webcam with ThinkShutter, a TPM 2.0 plus fingerprint, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C, two USB 3.1 Gen1, USB 2.0, HDMI port, RJ-45, Audio Combo Jack, responsive keyboard and a long-lasting battery.
It functions with a 10th Gen Intel Core processor that employs 4 cores, 8 threads, a 1.6GHz base clock memory speed, a 6MB L3 Cache and a max turbo that is up to 4.2GHz.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It uses a 1080p resolution.
- It has several input ports.
- It uses the 10th Generation Intel Core Processor.
Cons
- The keyboard has no backlight.
- It has no optical drive
Apple Macbook Pro
Best Mac Laptop
Macs are the second most widely used operating system after windows. This is due to their friendly user interface that ensures fluidity in multitasking and its ability to sustain highly demanding applications’ smooth performance.
Built as a 16-inch laptop with 8TB of SSD storage that ensures speed and fluidity in file load and pro apps launching, the Apple 16” Macbook Pro is designed to provide the smooth performance of new and already existing applications by presenting vivid and well-detailed images with the aid of its built-in retina display, 500 nits of brightness and P3 wide color gamut.
It is equipped with an Intel Core i9 processor with eight-core processors and sixteen threads of processing power to sustain its high performance. Its high-performance processor is supported by AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics with up to 8Gb of GDDR6 memory and 64GB of 2666MHz memory, and 8TB storage ample storage space for the smooth operation of all the applications that are installed into the laptop.
The Apple 16” Macbook Pro also features a great audio system via its six-speaker sound system that functions with dual force canceling woofers designed to reduce vibration for clearer and richer sounds. In addition to this audio feature, this laptop also employs three built-in studio-quality microphones designed to produce great sounds when recording or podcasting.
This laptop has a sleek build with a scissors switch keyboard with 1mm travel distance, a touch bar, a Touch ID for fast authentication of fingerprints, a long-lasting battery, four Thunderbolt 3 ( USB-C) ports, and a Wi-Fi connection.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It uses a retina display with 500 nits of brightness.
- It has AMD Radeon Pro.
- It is equipped with an Intel Core i9 processor.
Cons
- It is expensive.
- The RAM is not upgradeable.
Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-72XD
Best Gaming Laptop
The Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop doesn’t disappoint in features, structure, or performance. Its 10th generation Intel Core i7 -10750H that functions with a 6-core processor, a 2.6GHz with turbo boost technology with up to 5.0GHz for the laptop’s smooth and swift performance.
Living up to gaming expectations, this laptop employs a 144Hz Refresh rate, a 3ms response time, and a 1080p resolution that displays images on its LED-backlit IPS 15.6” full HD display.
Complementing the above features are 300 nits of brightness, a 72% NTSC, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card that prevents lag.
It also employs 6Gb of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM, 16Gb DDR4 2933 MHz Dual-channel memory, a 512GB PCle NVME SSD with two available slots, a hard drive bay.
A well-built gaming laptop should encompass great sound features and this laptop is two built-in microphones, two Acer purified stereo speakers, a DTS X Ultra-Audio that features a well-optimized bass system for loud and rich sounds, with speaker protection that has 6 custom content modes that are protected by a smart amplifier, and blended by Acer True Harmony Technology.
Furthermore, this gaming laptop is equipped with a 720p webcam that supports super high dynamic range (SHDR), a 2X2 MU-MIMO Technology, Ethernet, a USB Type C port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 with up to 10Gbps, an HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support, a mini display port 1.4, Lithium-ion battery that provides long hours of battery life, Wi-Fi connection, 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard, Ethernet, DTS X: Ultra-Audio, and a 4th generation all-metal aero blade 3D fan that act as a cooling system for the laptop.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It has a well built audio system.
- It uses a 1080p resolution.
- It is equipped with Nvidia GeForce RTX.
Cons
- It has no optical drive.
- Few USB ports.
Things to Consider When Purchasing a Laptop
Battery
Irrespective of the purpose that you want your laptop to serve, its usability, and performance is a determinant of its battery capacity and that is why you should only opt for laptops that have a battery capacity that can last for nothing less than five hours. A long-lasting battery will help you work effectively without worrying about the laptop shutting down while you’re in the middle of an important job, game, or video.
Ports
Input ports serve as a source of connecting secondary devices that aid the functionality of your laptop and the number of ports that you have also determine the number of devices that can be connected to it. While you should consider the number of ports, you should consider the type of ports that your laptop is equipped with as this will determine the functionality of each port and how it can be adapted to aid your performance.
Audio
A good laptop should have a decent audio Technology that is designed to produce great sounds that are suitable for games and conferences. While you might want to support its audio quality with external speakers, the built-in speakers should be greater towards producing an outstanding audio quality that is highly optimized for different uses.
Size
A major feature that has become synonymous to laptops is their portable size. There are different sizes of monitors with the biggest ranging between 15-17 inches. Depending on your preference, and purpose, it is important that you get a laptop size that you’re not just comfortable working with but also presents a clear picture and also easy to take along with you wherever work takes you.
Resolution and Display
4k and 5k resolutions are the biggest things to have happened to computer resolutions and while 5k is mostly found in some Mac, 4k resolution can be found in some laptops. However, you won’t be needing that much of a screen resolution either for your games, graphics, or spreadsheet and data presentation. A 1080p resolution is great for displaying images with clarity and attention to detail. It is suitable for different purposes and is sometimes paired with 250-350 nits of brightness for clarity and a seamless visual experience.
Price
There’s no doubt that most high-end laptops are pricey and this is mostly because of the high definition features that it employs to ensure excellent performance and efficiency while you employ it to handle tasks. Sometimes, when searching for laptops, our search options are narrowed by the price options being presented but you’ll agree with me that everything good comes with a little extra price and this is very true with laptops. If you can afford it, get a well-built and high-performance laptop because they are durable, reliable, and more functional for different purposes.
RAM
A laptop’s RAM is one of its most important components that underscores its performance and functionality because the faster the RAM, the faster the rate at which memory transfers information to other components. It also determines the speed of your processor and for best results, nothing less than an 8Gb RAM is preferred for handling different purposes with efficiency and outright excellence in its performance.
Storage
In addition to the RAM, you should also consider the secondary storage capacity when purchasing a laptop. This complements the RAM and promotes fluidity in multitasking as well as the smooth operation of new and already existing applications on the laptop.
Graphic Cards
A good graphic card can improve the performance of the computer to a very large extent by ensuring a lag-free, tear-free, and stutter-free video session for your games and movies as well as promoting easy and smooth multitasking in different applications at the same time.
Operating System
The type of operating system employed by your computer will determine how you interact via its user interface. While there are different operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Chrome, the most popular and widely used operating system is Windows (with its latest development being the Windows 10 operating system). Although your choice of an operating system might determine your preference, Windows and Mac are the most widely used and they have proven to be highly efficient with a friendly user interface that makes them easy to use for different purposes.
Processors
This is also another basic feature that can influence the performance of your laptop if you do not pick it correctly. Different types of processors have been developed over time and they are generally geared towards the effective performance of your laptop. Laptops with Intel Core Processors have proven to be highly efficient for running multiple apps simultaneously without lag or tear when paired with good graphics cards and that is why it is highly recommended that your preferred processor choice should not be narrowed towards this angle.
Webcam
A webcam is not a basic feature when searching for a good laptop but this fact is also dependent on the purpose for which you’re purchasing a laptop. If you’re in the market for a gaming laptop, you can forgo this feature but if you want a business laptop, then you should opt for a laptop that has a built-in webcam to aid video conferencing for business growth and adaptability to the latest events.
Other things to consider
Apart from the above factors, other questions come to the mind of a lot of people when searching for a laptop, and the most common questions include:
- Is a gaming laptop more suitable for the task at hand?
- Does the laptop have good reviews?
- How often will I use this laptop?
- Is the laptop touch sensitive?
- Does the weight make it easy to carry around?
Conclusion
Knowledge they say, is power and when you’re equipped with information on the things to consider while searching for a laptop, finding the right one for you won’t be so much of a task.
I hope that this article provided useful hints that can sustain a fruitful search for a laptop that can cater to different purposes. If you still want to search for more options, confidently employ this article as a guide while you search on Amazon.
